Simple is Not Necessarily Beautiful

July 14, 2009

Whenever I see a magazine or blog that teaches us how to live a Simple Life, I get one of two impressions: either simplifying will turn me into a Martha Stewart type person, or I need to be one in order to achieve true simplicity.

Simplicity, as defined by these authorities on the subject, always looks beautiful… like an all-white home with a single red rose on the table, and a bowl of limes on the counter.

Simple hairstyles are polished and refined. Simple clothing is slimming and perfectly matched. Simple exercises give us six-pack abs. Simple anything, then, must mean beautiful… right? These two are practically synonymous, it seems.

Or are they?

I’ll tell you what “simple” means; it means “not complicated”.

I can’t imagine that my life could get any LESS complicated than it is right now. But guess what? My hair is a mess, I sit around in sweats and tees most of the time, and the only six-packs my abs have seen this decade require ID to be purchased. And my house? Oh… it’s simple too. I live in it.

Sometimes I make the beds, other times I don’t. Usually we have LEGOs, or Hot Wheels, or giant fortresses made of cardboard and cushions all over the living room. It’s comfy… and not complicated. But NONE of my simplicity is actually “beautiful”. My house and I will never be on the cover a magazine.

And I’m OK with that.

In fact, I’d almost argue that in order to achieve outward beauty for ourselves, our homes, and our stuff, we actually need to complicate our lives. We need to add processes and goals and expectations that often lead to disappointment or stress.

So maybe what needs to be simplified isn’t all around us, but inside us. Maybe nobody else gets to define what Simple means to me… or to you… or to anyone but himself or herself.

Simple is not always beautiful, neat, tidy and perfect. Simple is whatever uncomplicates your life so that you can enjoy it.

What does “Simple” look like for you?

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